Tubing make-up device



' Sept. 26, 1939. D. w. AULD El AL 2,174,115

TUBING MAKE-UP DEVICE Filed Sept. 2'7, 193'? INVENTOR. DONALD W. AULD OLOF B. ANDERSON a l'khmau, M

ATTOR an? Patented Sept. 26, 1939- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Y TUBING MAKE-UP DEVICE tion of Delaware Application September 27, 1937, Serial No. 165,974

'1 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved device for making up tubing in wells,

An important object of the invention is to provide a device which will expedite the process of making Joints in tubing for well holes.

An additional important object of the inven-- tion is to provide a device for making up tubing without the use of supplemental tools, such as tongs.

A further important object of the invention is to provide a portable rotary drilling machine with apparatusfor making up to g.

A still further important object of the present invention is to provide a device in which rotary same without danger of damaging the threads 01 the joint or overloading the prime mover.

In the accompanying drawing. forming a partoi this specification and in which like numerals are applied to designate like parts throughout the same, 1

Figure 1 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section of a device embodying the invention, and y Figure 2 is a plan view of plate 24 and its associated structure. In the drawing wherein for the purpose of illustration, is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention, the numerali indicates a supporting member carrying two hydraulic cylinders 6, 6, having cylinder heads 1,1, at one end and stufling boxes 8, 8, at the other, sealingly engaging piston rods 9, 9. Fixed to the free end of piston rods 9, 9, by nutslB, I0, and II, II, is crosshead I2 having a centrally disposed opening receive spider I3 and spider slips ll. Also car: ried by supporting member 5 is arotary table comprising sleeve or drive quill l5 having keyed thereto a main drive bevel quill gear 16 through key and keyway I1, and a plate l8 through key and keyway l9. Drive quill l5 bears on.supporting member 5 throu hignnular projection 20.

It is to be understood that 110 vertical thrust is imposed on the rotary table so that the bearing at 20 merely maintains the weight of the table. The drive quill I5 is supported against lateral thrust above and below main drive gear Hi by ball bearings 2|, 22 respectively. The assembly or bearings 21, 22 main drive gear 16, and plate It is maintained on drive quill 15 by lock nut 23 at the lower extremity of the drive quill.

The table also includes lower plate 24 fastened in spaced relation and in any desirable manner to plate 18'. Plate 24 has an opening 25 in align- 55 meat with the grief stem passage in drive quill power can be applied to a joint to make the l5. Mounted on lower plate 24 is a brake band 26 iastened at one end of a pin 21 fixed in the plate. (See Figure 2). The brake band surroundsopening 25 and terminates in a gear rack 28 which in turn engages pinion gear 28 being held in engagement therewith by idler roller I0. Pinion gear I! is rotatably mounted on plates Ill and 2 by pin 3|. Bprings 32 tend to maintain the brake band 28 centered with respect to opening 25, A brake lining "is shown on brake band 28. On the inside peripheral edge 0! each of plates II and 2| there are loca continuous channels 34, 35 respectively which receive a continuous brake drum shell 36 in slidable engagement therewith. The interior of brake drum shell I6 in the neighborhood of pinion gear 29 has a section of gear teeth 31 which engages with pinion gear 29. A continuous hand rail 38 is attached to drum shell 36 by spacing spokes 39.

A stationary brake band 40 having a lining 4| 1 is attached to lug 42 on support member 5 by a pin 43 and loops I on brake band 40. Brake band lll has included in it a toggle Joint designated generally at 45, one end of which is connected to lug It on support member 5 and the other end to loops 46 on the opposite end of brake band III. A handle ll is furnished to work the toggle joint 4! to tighten brake band 40 on brake drum shell 86.

A section 01' tubing 48 is shown passing through drive quill l5 and engaged by spider slips l4. Tubing section 48 is suspended from clamps 49 cf elevator ill.

In operation, considering that elevator 50 has lowered tubing section 48 to the position shown in solid lines in Figure 1, spider slips M will then support the tubing section and elevator can be unclamped to pick up a second section of tubing. In the meantime cross head I! is lowered by meanstoi hydraulic cylinders 6, 6 to the position shown by the dotted lines in Figure 1. Since tubing section I is now carried entirely by spider l3 and spider slips II the collar assumes the position shown by the dotted lines in Figure 1 below the plate 24. The second section of tubing held by the elevator is lowered through drive quill it until its threads are in alignment with the collar of tubing section 18. The rotary table can be started at this point or if desired can be run continuously. The direction of rotation in the embodiment shown would be clockwise. By operating handle llbrake band 40 can be tightened on brake drum shell 36. Brake drum shell 36 had up to this point been rotating with plates I8 and 24 which, as mentioned above, are carried by s drive quill Ii. 'I'he tightening action of brake band Ill on brake drum shell 36 tends to stop brake drum shell 36 from rotating. This causes gear section 31 to move relative to plates l3 and 24 since it is decelerating while the plates continue to rotate at a fixed speed. Pinion gear 29 which is fixed by pin 3| with respect to plates l3 and 24 is thus turned around pin 3! by the section of gear section 31 in a clockwise direction.

The motion of pinion 29 is transmitted to gear rack 28, tightening brake band 26 on the second tubing section. This action starts the second tubing section rotating in a clockwise direction and since tubing section 48 is held stationary by spider slip H the joint is made. It will be apparent that despite the braking action of brake band 43 on brake drum shell 38 the latter will continue to rotate at the same speed as the rotary table after rack 23 has tightened up brake band 28 to such a point that the braking i'orces balance. The brake band lining ll then drags upon thebrake drum shell 36 during the making of the joint, When the Joint is made the pressure oi. brake band Ill is removed by the operation of handle 41 and if properly operated will be at the time the brake lining 33 begins to drag upon the second section of tubing due to the fact that the joint has become tight. Upon release of the pressure of brake band ill on brake drum shell 36 springs 32 will back brake lining 33 of! the tubing section. Spider slips M will be released and the elevator will lower the second tubing section to the position occupied by tubing section 48 as shown in solid lines in Figure 1. Spider slips II will again be inserted and the cycle repeated.

Although springs 32 in their functioning to center the brake band 28 tend to remove brake lining 33 from contact with the tubing section, they do not back of! brake lining 33 far enough to allow the collar of the tubing to pass therethrough. To accomplish this is the function of hand rail 33. Since handrail 33 is attached, to

brake drum shell 36, when brake band It is not tightened so as to decelerate brake drum shell 36, the latter rotates as is stated above with the plates l8 and 24 and the drive quill l5. Since decelerating brake drum shell 36 tightens brake band 26 upon the tubing section as explained above, it is apparent that acceleration of drum 3G with respect to plates l3 and 24 will back of! brake band 26. Thus with the table rotating clockwise the operator merely grasps hand rail 33 and accelerates it in a clockwise direction to allow the tubing section collar to pass the brake lining 33.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present device is convertible into a rotary drilling apparatus by merely substituting a chuck for spider l3 and spider slips I4 and providing slips in the drive quill to hold the kelly' or grief stem.

Throughout this specification the term tubing is intended to include casing, drill pipe and sucker rods, to all of which the adaptability of the apparatus is apparent.

It is to be understood that the form of our invention, herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes in the shape, size, and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of our invention and iurther that the theories of operation set out, although believed to be accurate are not to be considered as the sole basis of the operativeness of our device but that our device does operate successfully whether or not upon the principles described herein, our invention to be limited solely by the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a tubing make-up device, a supporting member, a rotary table mounted on said supporting member, an opening centrally disposed in said table to receive a section of tubing, a spider supported by said supporting member for movement toward and away from the same in a substantially vertical direction, an opening in said spider for receiving a section oi tubing, means carried by said spider for engagement with a said section of tubing, a brake element on said table arranged for engagement with a said section of tubing, a drum slidably mounted on said table, a gear section on said drum, a pinion gear on said table having engagement with said gear section, a rack on said table having engagement with said pinion gear, said rack being connected to said brake element, and a brake element on said support arranged for engagement with said drum.

2. In a tubing make-up device, a supporting member, a rotary table mounted on said supporting member, an opening centrally disposed in said table to receive a section oi tubing, a spider supported by said supporting member for movement toward and away from the same in a substantially vertical direction, an opening in said spider for receiving a section of tubing, means carried by said spider for engagement with a said section oi tubing, a brake element on said table arranged for engagement with a said section of tubing, one end oi said brake element being fixed to said table, a rack connected to the other end of said brake element, a drum slidably mounted on said table, a gear section on said drum, a pinion gear rotatably mounted on said table for engagement with both said rack and said gear section, and means for moving said drum relative to said table.

i 3. A rotary table structure comprising a platewith a said section of tubing, a drum slidabiy mounted on said plate, a connection between said brake element and said drum, whereby movement oi said drum relative to said plate will operate said brake.

4. A rotary table structure comprising a plate having an opening for a section 01' tubing, a brake element mounted on said plate for engagement with a said section oi-tubing, a rack connected to said brake for operating the same, a drum slidably mounted on said plate, a gear section on said drum, gear means connecting said rack and said gear section, whereby movement of said drum relative to said plate will move said rack to operate said brake.

5. A rotary table structure comprising a plate having an opening for a section of tubing, a brake element mounted on said plate for engagement with a said section of tubing, a rack connected to said brake for operating the same, a drum slidably mounted on said plate, a gear section on said drum, a pinion gear rotatably mounted on said plate and engaging said gear section and said rack.

6. In a tubing make-up device, means ior holding a section of tubing against rotation, means for holding a second section of tubing in alignment with the first said section oi. tubing and rotatable with respect thereto comprising a rotatable element having friction elements for engagement with or disengagement for said second section, a drum slidably mounted on said rotatable element, gear means connecting the Iriction 5 elements and slidabie drum, and a brake means engageable with the sliding drum to engage or disengage the friction elements from the second section of tubing. V

7. In a tubing make-up device, a supporti 10 member, a rotary table mounted on said supporting member, an opening centrally disposed in said table to receive a section ot'tubing. means for holding a second section of tubing against rotasupport arranged for engagement with said drum. 1o

DONALD W. AULD. OLOF B. ANDERSON.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 2, 1711,115.

DONALD W. AULD, ET AL.

September 26, 959- It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the'above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 1, first column, line 12, for the word "tuning" read tubing; P g first Column, line 8-9, for the word "section" read action; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 21st day of November, A. D. 1959.

(Seal) Henry Van Arsdale,

Acting Commissioner of Patents.

tatable element having friction elements for engagement with or disengagement for said second section, a drum slidably mounted on said rotatable element, gear means connecting the Iriction 5 elements and slidabie drum, and a brake means engageable with the sliding drum to engage or disengage the friction elements from the second section of tubing. V

7. In a tubing make-up device, a supporti 10 member, a rotary table mounted on said supporting member, an opening centrally disposed in said table to receive a section ot'tubing. means for holding a second section of tubing against rotasupport arranged for engagement with said drum. 1o

DONALD W. AULD. OLOF B. ANDERSON.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 2, 1711,115.

DONALD W. AULD, ET AL.

September 26, 959- It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the'above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 1, first column, line 12, for the word "tuning" read tubing; P g first Column, line 8-9, for the word "section" read action; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 21st day of November, A. D. 1959.

(Seal) Henry Van Arsdale,

Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

